


DC Marriage Week - Birdflash

by CanaryCry



Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, DC Animated Universe, DCU, Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: DC Marriage Week, Engagement, M/M, Marriage, Marriage Proposal, Prompt Fic, Prompt Fill, Romance, Same-Sex Marriage
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-14
Updated: 2015-10-30
Packaged: 2017-12-29 09:26:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 14,767
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1003745
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CanaryCry/pseuds/CanaryCry
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The original DC Marriage Week was held Monday 14th October to Sunday 20th of October in 2013 and was a reaction to DC's editorial saying marriage isn't allowed in the New 52. I got through two prompts before I couldn't keep going. The second DC Marriage Week is Monday 19th October to Sunday 25th of October and I'm picking up the slack again. This time we have a happier reason to celebrate with the upcoming nuptials of Alysia Yeoh and her fiancee. So I have returned to finish my Birdflash throwing and do my duty to the fandom.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Day 1: Proposal

**Author's Note:**

> I very loosely based the relationship between Dick and Wally on later ideas for my Dick Grayson: Murder Victim series (I have got to find a better name for that). It's not required that you read that, but it might have contextualise things a little. There are references to Dick's brief period as the Red Hood in the proposal fic. There may be other references later when I actually write the other fics.

Dick had only put up token resistance to Wally’s offer to take him out for lunch before letting the speedster drag him out the door, grumbling about leaving work unfinished.

“You’ve got plenty of time for work,” Wally said, opening the passenger car door for him. “Tim agreed to help lighten your workload, and we’ll be back before dark. I promise.” Wally would have preferred to do dinner and not worry about keeping to a schedule, but with Bruce gone and Gotham still unstable from the recent chaos of its _holy shit there’s no Batman_ phase, it just wasn’t feasible.

Dick stuck his tongue out at him. Wally snorted and shut the door in his face, zipping around to the driver’s side. They were acting as civilians today… mostly.

“Relax, babe,” Wally said, navigating the car down the winding road that joined Wayne Manor to the rest of Gotham City. “Gotham isn’t going to fall apart without you for a few hours.”

“Easy for you to say,” Dick muttered. Wally booped his nose, complete with sound effects, and the younger man’s frown morphed into a grudging half-smile. “Okay, fine. I’ll chill out. Where are we going?”

“You’ll find out when we get there,” Wally sang obnoxiously, making Dick punch his shoulder. “Hey! Don’t punch the driver!”

“Keep your eyes on the road, Jeeves,” Dick said sternly, settling back into his seat. He’d started bulking up so he could carve a more intimidating figure as Batman and Wally had to fight the urge to squeeze his muscular thighs. There hadn’t been much downtime for the two of them since Bruce had been killed and all his former responsibilities had been thrown into Dick’s lap. The tension had them snapping at each other with increasing frequency until Dick had all but banned Wally from the Batcave when he was working, which was practically all the time. Dick was always so exhausted when he finally went to bed that he fell asleep almost immediately. The two of them had barely had the chance to _touch_ each other for so long.

Wally tore his eyes from Dick and back onto the road, thanking his lucky stars for speedster reflexes. If Dick were anybody else, he probably wouldn’t have noticed.

“See something you like?” Dick teased, giving him his best thousand-watt smile before tossing his hair back. He suddenly seemed about twenty years younger.

“Oh, you know, just some guy. Don’t tell him, though. Wouldn’t want it to go to his head. He already thinks way too much of himself.”

“There’s nothing wrong with a healthy ego, Wally.” Dick was still smiling. When was the last time he had smiled like that? Wally couldn’t remember. “I seem to remember a certain speedster thinking he was God’s gift to women a while back.”

“That was ten years ago,” Wally whined, stopping at a traffic light. “You can’t hold me responsible for what I did at fifteen years old. At least I didn’t murder people.” Wally regretted the words the instant they were out of his mouth.

Dick rolled his eyes at him. “No need to get nasty. I was just making a point.” He didn’t sound upset, thank God. “You still wanted to kiss me even after you found that out, so let’s just say we both suck.”

“Not as often as we used to…”

Dick sighed. “I left myself wide open for that one.”

“Not as much as—”

“Stop.”

Wally turned the car into a parking lot nearby. There were fewer people going out in the wake of Gotham’s little crime spree. Alfred had lent him one of the less ostentatious cars Bruce had owned—well, they were probably Dick’s now—so they wouldn’t be as liable to carjacking or vandalism or anything of that nature. In fact, the fancier cars pretty much did nothing but gather dust in the manor’s underground garage these days.

“I’ve seen about six different eating places in the local area,” Dick said, unfastening his seatbelt. “Given your insistence that we’re on a romantic date, I’m going to assume we’re not getting fast food, so that removes half of them. Now we’re left with a sushi place, an Italian restaurant and an Indian place that serves the spiciest food on Gotham. I’m assuming you don’t want to burn my tongue into oblivion today, so that one’s out. That leaves us with either sushi or Italian. How am I doing so far?”

Wally groaned and rested his face against the steering wheel. “I hate you so much.”

“But wait, there’s more,” Dick said brightly, pressing the button to release Wally’s seatbelt. “You always complain about sushi not being filling and the particular Italian restaurant we’re near has a reputation for enormous portion sizes, which is totally your thing. We’re having Italian.”

“Oh my God, Dick. Can’t you just turn off the detective brain and let me surprise you for once?”

Dick laughed at his forlorn expression. “Nope. Can’t turn it off. Small price to pay for being a genius.” He pressed a kiss onto Wally’s temple. “And I don’t know what you mean with this ‘for once’ business. You’ve surprised me plenty of times. Now, come on. I’m hungry.”

As if just to be doubly annoying, Dick led the way to the restaurant with Wally trailing after him, grumbling under his breath. The reversal of roles would’ve been funny on another day, maybe, if Wally wasn’t already freaking out on the inside. He felt for the box in his pocket, letting out a breath when he found it still there. Hopefully Dick wouldn’t figure out that part of his plans until the time was right.

The restaurant was a little place nestled between a Mom and Pop store and a coffeehouse, right across from the botanical gardens. A few Gothamites chatted and smoked in between bites of their lunch in the tables and chairs on the sidewalk, as it was a non-smoking area inside. Wally reached for Dick’s hand, taking the lead at last, and pushed open the door.

It was like stepping into somebody’s house. The worn wooden floors were the colour of honey and photos hung in frames on the cream walls. A collection of pot plants decorated the corners. Dick ran his finger along a leaf while Wally spoke to the hostess, a squat, older lady who reminded Dick of the Haly’s Circus cook.

After a moment, the woman raised her voice so Dick could hear her. “Come.” Her voice was brisk, but not altogether unpleasant. She beckoned them onwards, already heading further into the restaurant. She barked instructions in Italian to a few young waiters she passed before finally leading the two men to a table in the corner, where she left them with a small smile.

“Busy lady,” Dick commented as the two of them sat down in polished wooden chairs that matched the floor.

“I think she’s the owner,” Wally replied. He was already reading the menu. Dick plucked his own from the red-and-white checkered tablecloth.

“So, how many dishes are we ordering just for you?” he said. “Five?”

“Three should do me.” Wally grinned at him over the menu. “You probably won’t finish one, but that’s okay. I’ll be happy to assist.”

“I’ll be sure to pick something we both like.” Dick chuckled. “Not that it’s hard. You’ll eat anything.”

“I like to think of it as one of my finer qualities.”

A waitress came around and took their drink order before disappearing into the kitchen. Dick spent a moment gazing around the room, his eyebrows contracting slightly.

“What’s on your mind, babe?”

“I can’t remember the last time I left the house as, well, me.” Dick smiled ruefully. “Things have been hectic lately.”

“Yeah, they have. But we are _so_ not talking about that right now. I got you out of the house to get you away from all that.” Wally reached for Dick’s hand, intertwining their fingers. Dick looked down at their hands and his expression seemed to soften a little.

“Okay.” He kissed the knuckles on Wally’s fingers one-by-one, apparently forgetting they were in public. Wally didn’t mind. If they were recognised, their relationship was old news by now anyway. It was unusual for Dick to do things without thinking, so Wally just sat back and enjoyed his boyfriend’s momentary lapse in paranoia.

Dick snapped back to himself when the waitress returned with their drinks, hastily taking a sip of his coke to avoid the wink she threw his way. Wally held back a laugh purely because he enjoyed Dick’s lapses far too much and never wanted him to stop. They tended to happen most often when Dick had been overworking himself—‘detective fatigue’, Wally liked to call it.

They ordered their lunch and blushed at the waitress’s knowing little smirk as she left them. Dick appeared to be fascinated by one of the nearby photos on the wall. Wally wanted to kiss the colour that sat high in his cheeks, feel the heat on his lips. Maybe he could convince Dick to take the night off for the first time since things started going to hell. Wally missed their time together, even though he understood why Dick didn’t have much time for him anymore. It wasn’t easy having to juggle Batman, Wayne Enterprises (even with Tim’s help), dupe everybody into thinking Bruce is merely overseas, and manage a family in mourning.

But that thought only further cemented the idea in Wally’s mind. They’d had a hard few months, and had to take their breaks and their happiness where they could find them… while they still _could_ find them. Dick had suffered immensely in the wake of Bruce’s death. It was strange to think that it was only a short time ago that the man had still been with them. Wally had held off the idea of proposing at first while Dick found his feet, but the thought of waiting any longer and potentially losing the chance haunted him.

Dick nudged his foot. “What are you thinking about?”

Wally shrugged. “Stuff.”

Dick gave him a _look_. “Right.”

A waiter put a basket of bread on the table with a little tub of olive oil for dipping. Wally rubbed his hands together and took a piece. Dick didn’t bother; if the portions were as big as they were rumoured to be, he was going to need all the space in his stomach he could save. Wally moaned obscenely with a piece of bread in his mouth, making Dick laugh.

“That good, huh?”

Wally swallowed his bite. “Best bread ever, man. Here, try a bit.”

Dick took the piece offered and dunked it in the olive oil before popping it in his mouth. He gave Wally a thumbs-up, but rejected the next piece his boyfriend tried to send his way. His stomach was not a bottomless pit, thank you very much. Wally took it upon himself to eat all the bread, chattering about silly things between bites.

Their food eventually arrived and Wally spent a few minutes sampling everything, moaning again and drawing amused stares from the other patrons. Dick hid his smirk behind the hand holding his fork as he tried to chew his gnocchi without choking.

“Should I leave you four alone?” he said once he’d managed to swallow.

“Relax, babe. Everybody gets a piece of the Wall-man.”

Dick had chosen the wrong time to take a sip of his drink, nearly spitting it everywhere. Wally laughed loudly at him.

“Oh, hush,” Dick said, wiping his mouth with a napkin. “For one of the least promiscuous people I know—”

“Says one of the most promiscuous people I know.”

“Feeling threatened… _Wall-man_?”

“Me? Pfft. As if.” Wally stuffed several bites of risotto into his mouth.

“Aw, it’s okay,” Dick said sweetly. “You know I’ve only got eyes for you, sweetums.”

Wally swallowed his food in a hurry to stop himself from choking, taking a hasty sip of lemonade to clear his throat. “Sweetums? Really?”

“You called me ‘sugarbutt’ in front of the Team _and_ the League the other day,” Dick reminded him. “I can’t let you corner the market on gross pet names, now can I?”

“Hey, I apologised for that!”

“Only because half the Team threatened you.” Dick went back to his neglected gnocchi.

“Yeah, the half you’ve slept with,” Wally muttered.

“I don’t hear you complaining when I’m showing you what I learned from all my, uh, _whoring around_ ,” Dick said, barely loud enough to carry across the table. He was wearing the same smirk he had the night all their self-control was shot to hell and they ended up in his bed. Wally had to look away, a shiver running down his spine at the memory. It would be just like Dick to turn him on in public just to embarrass him.

“Okay, okay. I’m sorry.”

“And it wasn’t _half_ , Wally. _God_.”

“Either name’s fine, babe.”

“I’m going to stab you.”

Wally waggled his eyebrows. “That’s my job.”

“I—” Dick cut himself off, staring at Wally like he was about to flip the table over right in his face. “You’re unbelievable. Just…” He dropped his head onto the table. “Unbelievable.”

Wally took that as a compliment. “So, you gonna eat that?”

“Ugh, just take it away from me before I explode and/or shove your face in it.”

“Love you too, babe.” Wally took the bowl away from him, shoving the stacked plates and bowls he had finished with off to the side to make room. He looked up at Dick, who had recovered enough to take a long slurp of his coke. “So, you wanna order dessert?”

Dick looked at him with wide eyes. “You’re insane. Let’s do it.”

The remaining gnocchi was gone in a heartbeat. Their favourite waitress came to take the dishes away and Wally asked to look at the dessert menu. While she was depositing the plates in the kitchen, Wally watched Dick make a subtle sweep of the room. He had relaxed since leaving the house, but there was always a little bit of him on guard. Wally found it endearing, really. He wondered about when to bring out the box. Should he do it after they order dessert but before it arrives? During dessert? Right afterwards? No, that was too late. As the dessert arrives? Maybe. Or maybe he could just wait for a lull in the conversation while they were waiting for dessert. He was thinking way too hard about this.

The waitress brought a menu around and Dick and Wally quickly picked out their desserts. As the waitress walked away again, Dick fixed Wally with another one of his _looks_.

“You’re tense,” he said, letting the question of _why_ hang, unasked, in the air between them. Dick was good at that, asking but not asking. Probably picked it up from Bruce.

“Just thinking,” Wally replied quietly, not quite able to feign levity like he may have under different circumstances.

“About?”

“…Us.” Wally let out a breath. _Now. Do it now._

“Oh?” Dick’s eyebrows contracted briefly before he smoothed out his face. _Oh shit he’s giving me the poker face oh shit oh shit_

“It’s nothing bad,” Wally said hastily.

Dick blinked, but gave no other reaction; he’d officially shut down his facial expressions.

“Dick, I mean it. It’s okay.”

“Okay…” Dick forced a smile onto his face, but at least it touched his eyes so it wasn’t entirely fake. “What exactly were you thinking about us?”

Wally suddenly felt self-conscious. He was about to make a total fool out of himself in front of a restaurant full of people. But why did he even care about them?

Wally reached out and grasped Dick’s hand, running his thumb along the knuckle of Dick’s. “Oh, you know, we’ve known each other for a long time. Dated on and off. We’ve been pretty serious for a while. Hell, even your little demon brother doesn’t seem to actively hate me anymore.”

“I may or may not have had something to do with that.” Dick’s face had opened up again at last. Crisis averted.

“Well, uh, thanks.” Wally laughed nervously. “Um, anyway, before Bruce, uh, you know… passed… he and I were talking about stuff.” Dick’s face had shuttered a little again at the mention of Bruce. “I mean, you know he wasn’t totally happy about us dating again after I broke your heart last time, but he’d kind of… warmed up to the idea. Said that as long as I was making you happy, he was happy.”

“That’s nice of him,” Dick said, a little vaguely. The memory of Bruce was still painful. Wally squeezed his hand tight.

“I’m sorry for bringing him up, but I wanted to tell you he… gave us his blessing.”

Dick’s eyes sharpened. “You’re not talking about him being cool with us dating anymore.”

“You’re right. I’m not.” Wally slid off his chair and knelt on the floor in front of Dick, his heart catapulting into his eardrums as he fumbled in his pocket for the box. There was a sharp intake of breath above him and Wally looked up to find Dick’s eyes had widened to vaguely the size of the pasta bowls that had recently been on the table.

“Wally…”

“Dick. Babe.” Wally finally got the box free and opened it with his free hand. “Will you marry me?”

“Holy shit, Wally.”

“We don’t have to do it, like, tomorrow,” Wally said quickly. “I just thought, you know, when things have settled down a little—”

“Oh my God. Yes.”

“Yes?”

“Yes!”

Wally pulled out one of the two diamond-encrusted platinum rings—thank you, Bruce—from the box and slid it onto Dick’s left ring finger.

“Ooh, a second ring?” Dick said. “Thank God for that.”

“What?” Wally was still reeling.

“Just because I’m the pretty one doesn’t make me the woman in this relationship,” Dick said, plucking the other ring from the box and slipping it onto Wally’s finger. “Now get up and kiss me.”

The whole restaurant applauded as Wally got to his feet, pulled Dick from the chair, and pressed their lips together. Dick threw his arms around Wally’s neck, pressing as close as humanly possible.

Dick did end up taking the night off after all.


	2. Day 2: Bachelor Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dick didn't *really* want a bachelor party...

“I thought you'd be all for one last night of, uh, debauchery before getting all tied down for life,” Wally said between mouthfuls of popcorn, sprawled on the couch beside his fiancé, who was tapping away at his laptop and frowning at the screen. You would've thought that Bruce coming back from his trip through the time stream or whatever the hell he was doing would've taken a load off Dick's shoulders, but no, Bruce decided to head off again without publicising his return, leaving Dick to keep managing Batman, a joint position in Wayne Enterprises with Tim, and, of course, taking care of Damian.

Dick shrugged, his eyes still glued to the screen. “I don't think of marriage as tying me down. If I did, I wouldn't have agreed to it. It's more of a formality at this point anyway. You'll still be operating in Central City and I've still got work in Gotham. Aside from the legal recognition, not a lot's going to change.”

“Mm, I guess.” Wally lifted a piece of popcorn to Dick's lips without lifting himself out of his position. “Hadn't really thought about it. Maybe I could--”

“Being the protector of a city you don't live in doesn't really work,” Dick replied, nipping Wally's finger on purpose as he took the popcorn. “You can't keep your finger on the pulse if you're not around to do it. As long as you're the Flash, you need to spend time in Central.”

“You still helped Bruce out even when you lived in Bludhaven.”

Dick stopped typing at last. “Yeah, but he called the shots. I was familiar with the city and tried to keep up-to-date on current events, but that was only possible because of Oracle and the other bats who were out there on the ground. You're the Flash. As far as superhero authority goes, you're the boss of Central. Iris and Barry can help you a little because of their jobs, but there's only so much they can do now that Barry's out of the biz.”

“Okay, fine. But you have to visit my new apartment.”

“When there's time,” Dick replied distractedly, tapping the keys again. The sound was oddly relaxing; maybe it was because Dick only used his laptop when he had enough downtime to change out of costume and just hang out at home. These days, more often than not, he was working down in the Batcave on that computer or on the holographic computer fastened to either his wrist or incorporated into his gauntlet. Things had settled down a little in the wake of Bruce's return, though that probably had more to do with the fact Dick needed time to recuperate from being shot in the head. He was still technically recovering, but had already started up light patrols again. Wally was a little annoyed at Bruce on that front, since he probably could have convinced Dick to take the time he needed if Bruce had taken over his duties as Batman again.

“There's no time like the present,” Wally said around a mouthful of popcorn. “Okay, so no bachelor party. How about just a party? Even if we throw out the whole notion of marriage tying us up--heh, kinky--it's still a big step.”

“A small party,” Dick conceded. “Friends and family only.”

Wally snorted. “That's still a lot of people.”

“Well, I take it you're going to bully Hal into getting you that alien alcohol that'll actually get you drunk,” Dick replied. “Maybe we should avoid inviting anybody you don't want seeing you passed out in a puddle of your own vomit.”

“Okay, so Bruce is not invited.”

“Obviously.” Dick smirked, gazing up at the ceiling. Wally could see the cogs working in his brain. “This is going end up like a bachelor party without the strippers, isn't it?”

“Uh... maybe?” Wally smiled sheepishly. “If I fed you more popcorn, would you forgive me?”

“Make me a new bowl and I'll consider it.” Dick shut his laptop. “If there's going to be alcohol involved, we probably shouldn't invite anybody who's underage. I'd rather not have to deal with certain Leaguers if anything happened to their charges. I'd rather not get married with a broken arm or neck.”

“Yeah, that'd suck.”

Dick had his thinking face on again. “How big's your apartment?”

“Why?”

“I don't think Bruce and Alfred would appreciate us throwing a great, big alcohol-fuelled party in this house. Besides, Damian won't be happy about being excluded and I _so_ don't want to deal with that all night.”

Wally shuddered. “Yeah, good point. My apartment's big enough for a small party, I guess, and my neighbours are pretty cool. As long as we're quiet enough after eleven and I warn them in advance, it should be okay.”

“So, maybe ten people?”

“Something like that. Let's stick with people who know our identities. Like, people who were on the Team early on.”

“Including Roy?”

“Sure, let's invite him. What about Jason? Isn't he twenty-one now?”

“He is. I can ask him, but he might not want to come. He's been avoiding the family since Bruce came back. He might come if we invite Barbara, as long as your apartment is wheelchair-accessible.”

“Ramps and elevators everywhere.”

“Excellent. So, year zero Team plus Jason? And what about Mal and Karen?”

“Sure, why not?”

“Okay, pick a date and I'll handle the invites.”

* * *

Barbara showed up at the apartment just as Dick was returning from the nearby store, having filled Wally's car with snacks and drinks because the Flash was busy halfway across the city with a mall on fire or something.

“Need a hand?” she asked, watching him lift bags out of the trunk.

“Sure. Thanks.” Dick placed a few bags in her lap before manoeuvring the rest into his hold and shutting the trunk. They left the parking garage for the elevator up to the apartment together. The apartment block was much brighter than Dick was used to, having lived mostly in Gotham and Blüdhaven in run-down neighbourhoods.

“I'm glad you could tear yourself away from work for one night,” Dick said, pressing the button to Wally's floor. Barbara smirked.

“You’re adorable.”

“You're going to spend half the night fighting crime from your cell phone, aren't you?”

“Maybe.” The elevator doors opened and Barbara wheeled herself out ahead of Dick. He lost sight of her around the corner for a moment and, by the time he caught up, she'd somehow managed to get the door to Wally's apartment open.

“After tonight, I'm coughing up for better security,” Dick said, following her inside.

“You better. I'm embarrassed for your husband-to-be.” Barbara deposited her share of the bags on the kitchen bench. “Soo, I heard you vetoed the strippers.”

“This isn't a bachelor party,” Dick replied, beginning to unpack the shopping. “It's a party.”

“Uh-huh. Keep telling yourself that.”

Dick threw an apple at her, which he caught effortlessly. “What's the point in hiring strippers when I've slept with most of the people we invited?”

Barbara choked on a mouthful of fruit, swatting his butt. Wally appeared in the doorway, sooty, sweaty and dishevelled. At least he'd thought to change into civvies before showing up at his apartment.

“How'd it go?” Dick asked, tossing another apple in his direction.

“Fire's out.” Wally groaned and threw himself onto the couch. “Please tell me Hal delivered the goods.”

Dick nodded towards a large paper bag by the sink. “That he did.”

“Oh, thank God.” Wally stumbled in the direction of the stairs. The second floor housed his bedroom and bathroom. Having only one bathroom in the place could be potentially problematic, depending on how drunk people were going to get.

The next arrival didn’t bother knocking. Jason strolled in, motorcycle jacket flung over one shoulder and a plastic bag full of clinking bottles in hand.

“Your boyfriend’s security sucks,” he said, depositing the bag on the bench.

“Fiancé,” Dick corrected, peeking inside. Bottles and bottles of decent-quality beer. “I’ll fix it later. Did you ride your bike all the way from Gotham?”

Jason made a show of adjusting his jeans, wincing dramatically. “Daddy Dearest never programmed me back into the zeta tubes.”

“You can stay over tonight if you want,” Dick offered, pulling the bottles out and lining them up on the bench.

“It’s—”

“Hush. I don’t want you having an accident because you’re tired and intoxicated.”

Jason made a dismissive _psh_ sound. “As if I would.”

“I’ll love you forever if you stay, Jay.”

“Aww, you’re gonna make me puke.”

“You’re staying,” Barbara cut in. “Don’t make me call Alfred.”

Jason held up his hands in surrender. “Okay, okay. But I better not have to hold Dickhead’s hair back, because I’ll just drop your face in the toilet.”

“I’m not drinking tonight,” Dick said, touching the top of a beer bottle with regret. “Leslie doesn’t want me risking it so soon after, you know, getting shot in the head.”

“What a shame,” Jason muttered. “The Replacement gave me a camera. I think he wants me to take compromising pictures and send them to him.”

“Ahh, Timmy’s just sad he can’t be here to take them himself. You guys hungry?”

“I am!” Wally tore into the kitchen, only half-wearing his t-shirt. Dick pulled Wally’s arm through the hole, tugged it down to cover his midriff and shoved him towards the fridge.

“It’s your house. Feed yourself.”

* * *

The other guests trickled in as the sun began to sink and Wally returned from stocking up at the nearest shop because he kept eating the snacks Dick had bought. Kaldur, Artemis and Roy arrived together and claimed the couch, quickly followed by Raquel and Zatanna claiming spots on the floor, and then Conner and M’gann, the latter of whom managed to squeeze into what little space was left on the couch while Conner sat by her legs. The group was settled with drinks and snacks in front of the TV when Mal and Karen finally showed up.

“Sorry,” said Karen, shouldering her coat off into Mal’s hands. “I got caught up at the lab.”

“I tried to tell you we were late,” Mal responded, but Karen made a silly face at him and he gave up.

“It’s okay,” Dick said. “Grab something to eat and drink and—oh, right, we’re out of seats—grab a cushion or person to sit on. You know, make yourselves at home.” He scrounged up two more pillows—Wally was a little incapacitated by whatever super-strength fluorescent green hell-liquor Hal had sent—and got the pair settled before returning to his fiancé’s side.

“Heyyyyy,” Wally drawled, flopping his head onto Dick’s shoulder the instant he sat down. Dick patted his head.

“Maybe you should ease up on the unalcoholy for a bit.” He grabbed a bowl off the coffee table. “Here, chips. Eat. Slowly.”

“Ease up on the what?”

“It—let’s just forget I said that. Ease up on the booze and eat some chips before I stuff them down your throat.”

“Hey, Roy,” said Jason, turning away from his game of blackjack with Barbara. “Was your marriage with Cheshire like that?”

“Shut up.”

“You know, Arsenal has a better sense of humour.”

Dick choked on his beer. Roy threw a chip at Jason’s head, but the younger man opened his lips and managed to catch the damn thing in his mouth. Amidst applause from the others, Roy gave him a grudging salute.

“No, but seriously, Roy,” Artemis chimed in. “I want to know the answer, too.”

“We’ve been to couples counselling,” Roy grumbled, hiding half his face behind his glass. He hadn’t drunk very much, but Dick wasn’t sure whether there was a reason behind his caution or not. Dick had checked with him about being around alcohol before inviting him, just in case.

Wally giggled, his head still lolling on Dick’s shoulder, only quieting down when Dick fed him chips. Jason swore loudly while Barbara smirked and collected their game’s winnings: a handful of candy bars.

“I’m still disappointed there are no strippers,” she said, throwing a candy bar at Jason to shut him up. “Now, if we were having this party in Gotham…”

Jason snorted. “There’s a new strip club where everyone dresses up like you superlosers.”

“That’s a clever insult Jason,” Dick needled. “Did you come up with that by yourself?”

“Says the guy who just invented the word _unalcoholy_.”

“I like it,” M’gann chimed in. Dick reached over from his spot on the floor and bumped her fist.

“But I wanna brofist,” Wally whined and Dick gave him one. Wally smiled contentedly, slid off Dick’s shoulder and landed flat on his face. Jason snapped a picture.

“Send me copies,” Dick mouthed at him before rolling Wally onto his back. “You okay, dude?” Wally gave him a thumbs up, but made no attempt to sit up. “You… just gonna stay down there?” Wally shoved his face into the pillow, extremely close to Dick’s butt. “Right. Okay. You do that. How are we for snacks, guys? Anybody about to waste away?”

“I believe we are out of chips,” said Kaldur, who had previously been watching the TV in silence.

“Don’t worry about it,” Jason said to Dick. “Babs and I already ordered something.”

Dick narrowed his eyes. “What exactly did you order?”

“You’ll find out,” Barbara replied. “It’ll be here soon.”

“It better be food,” Wally said, his voice muffled by the pillow. “I want food.”

“You always want food,” Dick said, patting him on the head. Wally purred like a kitten, which Jason caught on camera.

“What’s the deal with the camera?” Conner asked him.

“The Rep—Tim gave it to me,” Jason replied, taking a sudden photo of Conner’s face… with flash.

“He wants blackmail material, apparently,” Dick added once Conner stopped glaring.

“Well, he got it,” said Karen, glancing at her watch. “Lord Almighty, is it that late already?” Everyone else checked their watches. It was after midnight.

“It’s not that late,” Zatanna said cheerfully, stretching out on the floor.

“Easy for you to say,” replied Raquel. “I left Amistad with a sitter.”

“Okay, who’s staying over and who needs to leave?” Dick asked the room at large. Meanwhile, Barbara had wheeled herself out into the kitchen to take a phone call.

“I’ll stay,” said Zatanna. Conner, M’gann, Artemis and Kaldur echoed that statement. Dick turned around to remind Jason he’d already agreed to stick around, but he had followed Barbara out of the room. Well, that wasn’t suspicious at all.

“Do the rest of you guys remember the way to the zeta tube?” Dick asked instead. “Central’s a pretty quiet city, but I’d still head down there as a group this late at night.” The group didn’t get a chance to say their goodbyes before somebody buzzed the apartment and Jason came tearing out of the kitchen to answer it before Dick could get up. Barbara wheeled back into the living room, smiling innocently.

“Food’s here,” Jason said after buzzing whoever it was through. Wally zipped into a sitting position, grinning.

“Hal really came through, didn’t he?” said Dick.

“Yeah.” Wally whistled. “Wow. It’s starting to wear off now, though.” He reached for the bottle, which was only half-full at this point. Dick slapped his hand away.

“I don’t believe you.”

Eventually, there was a knock on the door. Jason made a grand gesture in its direction which Dick took to mean he could answer it. Cautiously. Jason and Barbara were quite possibly the two most dangerous people he knew, and they had clearly hatched some kind of plan.

Dick gathered his wits and pulled the door open to find an enormous cake decorated with black and blue frosting. _I swear to God if you two—_

The top half of the cake exploded as somebody leaped out of it… somebody wearing a version of the Nightwing costume that seemed even clingier than the original.

The dark-haired man grinned and put his hands on his hips in a ridiculous superhero pose. “Holy matrimony—”

“Jason, Barbara,” Dick said, “I’m going to kill the both of you.”

Raquel made a noise of appreciation. “I guess I can stay a little longer.”


	3. Day 3: Same Sex Marriage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dick and Wally get married. It's pretty great.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M BACK.
> 
> I pinched some dialogue from my 30 day otp challenge and from a wedding vows site that considers its content to be public domain.

As the starting time drew closer, Wally grew more and more restless. There wasn’t anything for him to do, the rest of his family had gone away somewhere, and Alfred had banned him from seeing Dick in the interest of propriety. He was going to vibrate his way through the bed he was sitting on if he didn’t find something to do. Soon. He was at the point where he was rationing the few things he could do—like dressing in his suit—so he wouldn’t exhaust all his options of entertaining himself at once.

Just as he was lifting his dress shirt, there was a knock on the door. “Uh, come in?”

And then Dick of all people slipped inside, pressing a finger to his lips. “Alfred doesn’t know I’m here. Iris, Barry and Bruce are covering for me.”

“ _Bruce_ is in on it?”

“It was his idea.” Dick shrugged. “I was bored so I kept texting him. I was about a quarter of the way through the Bee movie script when he snapped.”

“You’re diabolical,” Wally said appreciatively. “How long have we got?”

“Ten minutes, maybe? You know what Alfred’s like. He won’t be distracted for long.”

“All right. Come here.” Wally gathered Dick into his arms and peppered kisses all over his face, making him squirm.

“Okay, okay. I missed you too.” Dick pulled away, putting his hand on Wally’s chest when he tried to follow. “Down, boy. I can’t think with you all over me.”

“Those better not be second thoughts you’re having.”

“What? No! Of course not. I just…” Dick ducked his head shyly, which was not something he’d normally do. “I was going to ask you about that. I mean, I know I’ve played down the significance of all this—and I was right, you know, on a pragmatic level—but now the time’s come and it feels… big.”

“You sure you’re not having second thoughts?”

“I had them,” Dick admitted. “Then I got over them. I’m still scared as hell, but when has that ever stopped me?”

Wally _may_ have used his superspeed to grab Dick’s hands before he could move out of his reach. “Yeah, okay, this is a little scary. And that’s okay. This is… probably a bad time, but since Bruce is taking over Batman and the company again…”

“You want to know if I can spend more time in Central with you,” Dick finished for him. “Yes, but we can work out the details of that later. No point tying our brains in knots right before we slap some rings on each other and hyphenate our surnames. Hey, did you know I could’ve added a Wayne to my surname if I wanted?” Dick was starting to bounce in place, a strangely manic gleam in his eyes. “I could’ve been Richard John Grayson-Wayne-West. Imagine if I’d just been a Wayne. I’d be Richard _John Wayne_. Does that give me bonus cool points?”

“…you’re freaking out, aren’t you?”

Dick forced himself to stop bouncing. “Maybe a little.”

“And you’re sure you’re not having second thoughts?”

“I’m sure,” Dick said quickly. “I want to marry you. I just didn’t expect to feel like this on the day.” He gazed down at their joined hands. “We’ve been through a lot together through the years. Put each other through hell. I honestly didn’t expect us to survive this long.”

“But we did.”

“Yeah.” Dick was finally coming down from whatever had come over him earlier. “We did.”

A sharp knock had the pair leaping apart.

“Relax, boys, it’s me.” Iris poked her head inside. “You better head back to your room and get dressed, Dick. Alfred’s coming for you soon.”

“I, uh, guess I’ll see you at the altar,” Wally said, snatching Dick into a quick hug. Dick gave him a silent, shaky smile before following Iris out of the room. Wally picked up the abandoned shirt. Not long to go now…

* * *

The enormous backyard of Wayne Manor had been converted for the ceremony with white chairs, a white lattice arch and pots of flowers in every colour imaginable dotting the landscape.

Given all traditional notions of wedding ceremonies had fallen out the window of heterosexuality, it had taken Dick and Wally some time to sort out how they wanted to handle everything from the procession to the wedding vows.

Dick watched from the entrance to one of three aisles as the procession carried down the middle. It had been Alfred’s insistence on him and Wally not actually meeting until they reached the altar that had inspired the setup. It also had the added bonus of not forcing people to pick a particular side, since the couple shared many of the same friends.

Barry and Iris’ children, Don and Dawn, stumbled down the aisle first, throwing multi-coloured flower petals everywhere, followed by Barbara and Jason.

Neither Dick nor Wally had expected Jason to turn him down outright when asked to be a groomsman, but Dick’s suggestion that he could be paired up with Barbara had done the trick. Tim, Steph and Cass came down as a group because they were a bunch of dorks. Somebody had convinced Cass to wear a blue dress—Dick wasn’t sure who—and Steph was bright and cheerful in green. Having everybody in the same outfits only divided according to gender was another apparent tradition that had been kicked screaming out that much-abused window. The bridal party was mostly in blues and greens, but Jason had somehow ended up with a red handkerchief that annoyed Alfred a little, but he was happy enough that Jason was participating at all to let it slide.

The year zero Team was also taking part in the procession. Artemis, wearing green, walked hand-in-hand with Kaldur, who was wearing the same kind of suit the other guys were with a blue handkerchief. M’gann had ended up wearing pink somehow and Conner had forgotten his handkerchief. Zatanna and Raquel had grouped up with Roy, dressed in black-and-white, dark blue, and possessing another red handkerchief, respectively. Another bunch of dorks.

Damian ended the main procession by carrying out the rings on a pillow, looking slightly less grumpy than usual. Although, to the casual observer, he probably still looked like he’d rather be stabbing somebody. Reading Damian’s expressions was a learned skill, and Dick could see the difference.

As Damian reached the altar, Dick’s nerves skyrocketed and he found himself fiddling with his blue handkerchief just to give himself something to do. Alfred swatted his hand away and smoothed out the fabric.

“Relax,” Bruce said behind him.

“Right.” Dick took a deep breath. “Right.” They’d been planning this for months. He _wanted_ this.

Finally, Alfred gently prodded him forward and the three of them stepped out. Dick spotted Wally doing the same with his aunt and uncle, the latter of whom was trying out a prosthetic to replace the leg he had lost during the League mission that had ended his career. Wally’s parents were in the audience somewhere, but they had never really supported the relationship—they’d made it clear they had expected Wally to be marrying Artemis, but that had been complicated by Wally’s “death” and Artemis’ eventual ability to move on with Kaldur. Dick had probably taken the whole situation better than Wally had. Whatever. That wasn’t important right now.

What _was_ important was that Wally had caught his eye and Dick was about an inch away from tripping over and falling flat on his face in front of a good number of people who would _never_ let him live it down. Wait, was Jason winking at him? And Barbara, too. Cheeky bastards.

Dick managed to reach the lattice archway and face Wally without embarrassing himself. Alfred and Bruce took his hands—and Barry and Iris took Wally’s—and passed each man’s hands to be held by the other’s. Their jobs done, they retreated to their seats.

The celebrant, who'd been thoroughly vetted and agreed to a memory wipe courtesy of Zatanna for the sake of identity protection, stepped forward to begin the ceremony. “Dear friends and family, we are gathered here today to witness the union of Richard Grayson and Wallace West in marriage. Today, as we create this marriage, we also create a new bond and a new sense of family—one that will undoubtedly include all who are present here today.”

There were so many people here for them. Dick felt a twinge of regret that his birth family couldn't be here, but Wally's fingers brushing over his knuckles eased that ache a little. It was a goddamn miracle Bruce was here, given they'd all thought he was dead mere months ago. And it had taken a lot of arm-twisting to get Wally's parents to show up, but there they were. Dick still couldn't be in the same room as Wally's father, since they were constantly on the edge of physically fighting, but the fact he'd even bothered to come today had to mean something. It'd be good for Wally, at least, to see that his parents did occasionally give a shit about him. Dick was still supremely offended they'd chosen to not be a part of his life when they _had_ that choice. Dick's parents didn't even get that much, and it fucking galled him that someone would willingly choose not to associate with their own child because of his orientation.

Dick pushed those thoughts aside. They didn't deserve space in his head today.

“Do you, Wallace Rudolph West, take Richard John Grayson to be your lawfully wedded husband, standing with him in sickness and in health, in joy and in sorrow, in hardship and in ease, to cherish and love for as long as you both shall live?”

Wally squeezed Dick's hands. “I do.”

“And do you, Richard John Grayson, take Wallace Rudolph West to be your lawfully wedded husband, standing with him in sickness and in health, in joy and in sorrow, in hardship and in ease, to cherish and love for as long as you both shall live?”

Dick squeezed back. “I do.”

“The couple has chosen to write their own vows,” said the celebrant. That had been a no-brainer from the beginning. “Wallace?”

“I'm not the most self-aware guy out there,” Wally began. Dick snorted. “Oh, shush. I didn't even know I liked you as more than a friend until someone else pointed it out to me. The timing sucked, since you were dead at the time. Which, you know, hurt my feelings a bit.” Wally was trying for levity, but Dick could hear the strain in his voice. “But you came back and you felt the same way about me. The timing still sucked because bad things just kept happening, but we gave it a shot. Later, when we were both older and in a better place, it all clicked. And now we're here, exactly where we wanted to be all along. I love you Dick, and you're stuck with me now. Forever.”

“You've been my rock, Wally,” Dick began. “Even before we were together, you always made a point to be there for me. I could tell you things I didn't dare tell anyone else. If I'd had a bad day, and it happened a lot, especially after I came back from the dead, you were always ready with a silly joke, or a hug, or just some words of encouragement. Whatever I needed. I know those years took a lot out of you, and I'll never stop appreciating how much you gave up to be there for me. Things are finally getting better—well, for now—and I love you, too, you big goof. There's no one would I'd rather be stuck with forever than you.”

Damian brought their rings and Dick and Wally slid them onto each other's fingers, grinning uncontrollably the whole time. Their kiss was tender, soft, and rice flew everywhere amidst the applause.

The pair touched their foreheads together. There were times when it seemed like this day would never come, that they'd both be buried in the cold, hard ground long before they could find this kind of happiness. But they had made it, and they absolutely refused to let anything or anyone tear them apart ever again.

They danced like fools at the reception, laughing and holding onto each other for support. Bruce danced with Damian on his feet nearby and Dick was never so glad to see a camera in Tim's hands as he was right in that moment. He wanted to relive this day over and over again. He never wanted it to end.

The party stretched well into the night and the couple's bright, sparkling joy was utterly contagious. Dick spotted Wally's parents dancing, and that gave him hope for the future. Jason had been lurking at the edges of the party for a while now, but Barbara managed to drag him out on the dance floor, wheeling circles around him as he tried not to look embarrassed by this whole turn of events.

“Get it, Barb,” Dick called over to her. Barbara responded with a thumbs-up and Jason turned bright red. Wally laughed, wrapping his arms tightly around Dick's waist. Everything was perfect and no one wanted to leave, not even Bruce, who kept finding excuses to put off patrol. Diana was doing a great job helping him with that, even going so far as to dance with him herself. Damian had been passed off to Steph, and he was blushing almost as badly as Jason. Cass wasn't dancing, but she watched the dancers with interest. She had probably learned enough from just sitting there to out-dance them with her eyes closed.

Members of the Justice League and the Team were scattered throughout the room as civilians. M'gann was regularly switching disguises for the fun of it. Dick was barely keeping up with them, as Wally was determined to distract him.

“We should do this more often,” Wally said to Dick.

Dick laughed. “We've got to get some more people together so we've got an endless stream of weddings to attend.”

“Or I could just propose to you again.”

“Or you could let me have a turn.”

“Never.”

Dick gave up on tracking M'gann and dropped his head on Wally's shoulder. “I love you.”

“I love you, too, babe.” Wally kissed the top of his head.

They eventually retired to their room, exhausted but happy.

 


	4. Day 4: Wedding (Night)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes love was ridiculous.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here be sex.

It was late when all the guests left and Dick's family went out on patrol, leaving the house jarringly empty. Alfred had shooed Dick and Wally away from helping with the cleanup, leaving them with nothing to do but head up to their room.

Dick was still downright giddy from the day. He and Wally undressed in a haze, hanging up their suits because their fear of Alfred overrode their exhaustion. Dressed down to their underwear, Wally draped himself over Dick's back, chin digging into his shoulder.

“So, Mr Grayson-West...”

Dick snorted. “Oh, here we go. What's on your mind, Mr Grayson-West? Aside from your sudden urge to turn into a cape.”

“You used to have a cape,” Wally mumbled against his shoulder. “It was cute.”

“Robin cape or Batman cape?”

“Robin cape. When you were still young and pure. The Batman cape just hides your best assets.”

Dick snorted. “And you don't have a horse in that race _at all_.”

Wally kissed his shoulder. “Hey, I can't help it. Nightwing is sexy.”

“I can tell.” Dick rocked back against Wally's growing erection. “Having some impure thoughts back there, Walls?”

Wally ran a thumb along the waistband of Dick's underwear. “My secret's out.”

“What are you gonna do about it?”

“I suppose hiding my shame isn't an option?”

Dick snorted, turning around and shoving Wally onto the bed. “I have to do everything myself. Get naked.” He kicked off his underwear and dug through the nightstand drawer to find the condoms and lube. Wally wriggled out of his briefs, flinging them across the room because of reasons. Dick yawned into his hand; he was tired as hell but the rest of his body had other ideas.

“You better not fall asleep on top of me again,” said Wally as Dick climb on top of him.

“That was one time, dude.”

“It hurt my feelings.”

“I hadn't slept in two days. Cut me some slack.” Dick uncapped the bottle. “Now are you going to help me or not?”

Wally grabbed the bottle off him. “Well, since you asked so nicely...”

“Oh, get on with it before we both fall asleep.”

“Yes, my darling husband.” Wally slicked up his fingers, snickering the whole time. “This is so romantic,” he said, and shoved a finger up Dick's ass.

Dick tried not to laugh and failed spectacularly.

“Cool. Free finger massage.”

“Oh my god _shut up_.” Dick tried to calm down. He really did. But he'd officially lost it.

“No, _you_ shut up.” Wally rolled Dick onto his back. “You see, this is why sex and sleep-deprivation shouldn't mix.”

Dick grinned up at him. “Are you planning to stop?”

“Hmm.” Wally kissed his stomach. “No.” And, without further preamble, he slid down and took Dick's cock in his mouth.

Dick huffed out a surprised laugh, which quickly gave way to a moan as Wally slid his finger inside him again. He was _merciless_ and Dick was inches away from coming right in his mouth in mere minutes. Wally pulled away right before it happened, leaving Dick gasping and curling his toes.

“Asshole,” he breathed.

Wally kissed the inside of his thigh, smirking up at him. “I learned from the best.”

“I am the best.” Dick took a few quick breaths. “Thanks for noticing.” He sat up. “Lie down. I had plans.”

Wally obeyed. “Yes, boss.”

“Please don't.” Dick climbed back on top of him, reaching for a condom. Being at the peak of his physical conditioning was pretty handy when it came to quickly recovering from Wally's little game. He rolled the condom down Wally's cock, enjoying the way he twitched in response, and took his sweet time spreading more lubricant along his shaft.

“Ngh. Babe. Still fast, remember?”

“Oh, I know.” Dick finished preparing him and took his cock the whole way in one smooth drop. He enjoyed showing off that particular skill because it never failed to make Wally's eyes pop right out of his head. It also had the side-effect of pushing Wally closer to coming, but he often came early anyway so it wasn't a big deal. It just meant Dick got some bonus attention while they waited for him to perk up again. This time was no different. Wally rarely lasted long the first time.

Wally managed to last two minutes, a pretty good effort, before he couldn't hold back anymore and vibrated through his orgasm. Dick loved that bit, even though it only lasted a few seconds. He kissed Wally as they rode it out, and Wally's hand wrapped around his cock in return.

These in-between moments were always slow and relaxed. Wally stroked him with soft vibrations running through his hand while Dick took charge in the kissing department. Wally sometimes forgot about kissing while he focused on his powers.

Wally got hard again in less than a minute. They swapped out the condom and got back into it. He usually lasted better the second time, more in control of his own body and his powers, which he happily used to make Dick sing.

He caressed Dick's ass as the other man set their pace. “'Love you, babe.”

“'Love you, too. Now are you going to just lie there or are you gonna help me out here?”

Wally's caresses turned to a bruising grip. His leverage was never quite as good in this position, but Dick could more than make for it. He started small, little more than the hum of an idling engine, building and building until Dick was physically shaking from the vibrations.

Dick loved fucking a speedster. Wally still couldn't vibrate through walls, but he knew the exact frequency to send Dick hurtling over the edge in seconds, or to keep him balanced upon it until one strategic pulse had him screaming.

And, boy, did Dick scream. He could never maintain his rhythm like that, so Wally rolled them back over to take the reins, driving deep inside him and ticking up the frequency as high as his husband could stand.

“Oh. Oh _fuck_!” All Dick's language skills flew out the window as his entire body curled around Wally's. Dick came hard, screaming his name to the high fucking heavens, and that was enough to send Wally hurtling after him.

Dick lay sprawled out on his back, breathing hard through the afterglow. Wally kissed his throat.

“How's that for a wedding night?” he panted, almost as breathless as Dick.

“Not bad,” Dick managed, grinning at the ceiling.

“Heh. You're a real dick sometimes.”

Dick laughed breathlessly. “That's _old,_ babe. So old.”

“It's a classic.”

Dick half-assedly punched his shoulder. If he'd full-assed it, Wally's arm would've gone numb.

Wally wrapped all his limbs around Dick. It was something they both did at times. Apparently Dick also did it to his siblings—sometimes even _Bruce—_ if they happened to be sleeping in the same spot. Said spot was only sometimes a bed. Tim had taken to calling it the octopus position, and the name had stuck.

Dick ran a hand through Wally's sweaty hair. “I'm glad you're here,” he said, and suddenly all the ridiculousness they'd cultivated fell away.

“And I'm glad _you're_ here,” Wally replied, squeezing him tight. There had been times when one of them wasn't. But that was the past. They were both here now, and they were never, ever letting each other go again. There was always something new on the horizon waiting to tear them apart, but right now, in this moment, everything was perfect.


	5. Day 5: BABIES

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone in the family is turned into a baby and Dick is Not Ready.

Nightwing had been about to turn in for the night when Robin's voice burst through the communicator in his ear. “Nightwing.”

“Yeah?”

“I need help. Now.”

Nightwing grabbed Robin's transponder location on his wrist computer. “I'm on my way.” He shot his grapple line and flung himself in its direction. “What's happening?”

“It's... just get over here. Please.”

Nightwing broke his line, spending a moment in freefall as he shot it into another building. “Okay. Stay calm. I'm coming.” If Robin was worried enough to actually use his manners...

Nightwing really hoped no one was injured. Alfred was out of the country on a well-deserved holiday. Robin was meant to be patrolling with Batman, so if something had happened to him, there went their most experienced medic in the family. Nightwing was competent, but he wasn't on the same level as Alfred. Worst come to worst, they could always call on Leslie, but that would take extra time.

He soared to the ground, rolling to eat up momentum before surging to his feet to run the last stretch. Robin would've said if someone was wounded, surely. It had to be something else.

That something else turned out to be Robin kneeling on the ground next to a pile of black costume, surrounded by a circle of unconscious bad guys. Nightwing stepped over them.

“All right. What's happened?”

“I...” Robin pointed helplessly at the costume. Nightwing could see the familiar points of Batman's cowl. Something stirred inside it.

Nightwing knelt beside the costume, opposite his brother. “Robin. Use your words.”

Robin shrugged. “Some kind of beam hit Batman. Now he's...”

A little head poked out of the costume.

“A baby.” Nightwing's brain ground to a halt. “What's a baby—oh.”

The baby smiled up at him, sitting back on his butt. Those blue eyes were definitely Bruce's. Magic. Ugh.

Nightwing bundled baby Bruce up in his cape. “Get the rest of his costume.” While Robin gathered all the pieces, Nightwing hit his communicator. “Everyone, listen up. We've had a magic mishap. Batman is now a Batbaby and we've got a whole bunch of criminals we'll have to interrogate. I need a few people over here so I can get him back to the cave.”

“I'm in the area,” said Red Robin. “On my way.”

“Can I interrogate them?” said the Red Hood.

“Only if you don't shoot them.”

A sigh. “Fine. You never let me have any fun.”

“Yeah, yeah. Get over here so Robin and I get get back to the car.”

Baby Bruce babbled away in Nightwing's arms while they waited for the Reds to get there. Dick bounced him without much thought. Robin looked like he might faint.

“You okay, kiddo?” Nightwing asked.

“Fine,” Robin said vaguely.

“Did you get hit with anything?”

“No. I'm just...”

“Weirded-out. Gotcha.”

Red Robin laughed when he arrived to see Bruce gnawing away on Nightwing's gloved hand. The Red Hood backed away slowly, kicking the guy with a cane to wake him.

“I'll get started,” he said. “Get the hell out of here before Robin passes out.”

“If you figure out the ring leader, let me know,” said Nightwing. “Zatanna might want to talk to him.”

He and Robin headed to the Batmobile. Nightwing got the trunk open and fished out a car seat, which he installed while Robin sat in the front with his infant father in his lap.

“Hey, Zee, it's Nightwing.” Nightwing strapped the seat in. “Batman had a run-in with a magician that turned him into a baby. Could you get to the cave and check him over? We're still out in the field. Be there soon.”

“I'll be ready.”

“Thanks.” Nightwing lifted the baby from Robin and strapped him into the car seat before climing into the front and setting the autopilot for the batcave.

  
  


Wally was just about to finish his monitor duty shift in the Watchtower when Zatanna bopped him on the shoulder. The Martian Manhunter, who was there to relieve him, floated into placed.

“Hey, Zee. What's up?”

Zatanna leant against the computer Wally had been attending. “I got an interesting call from your husband.”

“If this is about that threesome thing I said the other day, I was totally joking. Unless you're up for it.”

Zatanna snorted. “No. Batman got hit with some weird time magic that turned him into a baby. Figured you might want a look.”

“Oh, jeez. Is everyone freaking out? I bet they're freaking out.”

“Dick was pretty calm, but he definitely sounded a bit weirded out by the whole thing. You in?”

“Absolutely. See you, J'onn.” Wally followed Zatanna to the zeta tube.

Wally knew where everything was in the batcave's med bay so they were able to have it all set up by the time the batmobile roared to a halt. Dick and Damian had both discarded their masks. Damian made a beeline for the stairs to the manor, gesturing wildly while Dick mostly laughed at him. Dick reached into the back to grab a bundle of black cape.

“Thank God you're here,” he said to Zatanna, depositing the bundle on the gurney. He peeled the cape back to reveal a chubby, black-haired baby who immediately made grabby hands towards him. Dick kissed a tiny knuckle. “Let the nice lady work her magic, okay?”

“This might not work, but it's worth a try.” Zatanna held her hands out in Bruce's direction. “ _Nruter ecurB ot sih lamron ega_.”

Nothing happened, except Bruce started to cry. Loudly.

“Shh shh shhhh.” Dick picked him up. Bruce immediately clung to his neck, burying his face in Dick's costume.

“I don't think he likes magic,” Wally said.

“It's okay, baby, it's okay,” Dick cooed, petting Bruce's hair. Wally had to bite back a snort. Adult Bruce barely emoted on a good day, and the sight of Dick cuddling him was almost too much to bear.

“Think he remembers you?”

“I think so,” Dick replied. Bruce's cries softened into hiccups. Dick patted his back. “Either that or he gets attached to people _really_ fast. Which would be weird.”

“He magically turned into a baby, babe. Weird's already arrived and it's naked.”

Dick secured the cape tighter around the baby's waist. “We've got some diapers and baby clothes around here somewhere.”

“I'll find them.” Wally zipped off to search. They were in a cupboard upstairs. By the time he returned with them, Bruce was back on the gurney, distracted by a stuffed animal Dick was poking him with while Zatanna worked more magic.

“All right,” Zatanna said. “I see the problem. Some spells can be made unbreakable.”

Dick looked up at her with horror. “You mean—”

“Cool it,” Zatanna said. “I wasn't finished. Unbreakable spells are never permanent. You've got a week of baby Bruce, tops.”

Dick slumped backwards. “Jesus. Never scare me like that again.”

Wally passed him a box of diapers. “You might need one of these yourself.”

“Shut up,” Dick muttered, ripping the box open. “Oh, Alfred, why'd you have to be away this of all weeks?”

“He'd come back if you asked,” Wally said.

“No. No way. I'm not doing that to him. Do you have any idea when he last took a vacation? Because I sure don't.” Dick grabbed a diaper and gently pushed Bruce onto his back. “All right, kid. Let's get this on you before we have any surprises, hey?” He opened the diaper and set it under Bruce's butt. “Hey, Walls, could you tell Hood I don't need the magician's info anymore?”

“Sure thing, babe.” Wally put in the call, watching Dick tickle Bruce's tummy to make him laugh before securing the diaper on him. He grabbed the onesie from Wally's hand afterwards and wrangled the kid into it. He was wriggly, but not unhappy anymore, which was a goddamn relief.

“Okay, I'm out,” said Zatanna. “Call me if things get weirder, but I've done everything I can for now.”

Dick stuck his tongue out at her. “Traitor.”

Zatanna was already on her way out, waving over her shoulder. “Have fun, kids. Take pictures.”

The rest of the family returned as she stepped into the zeta tube. Tim led the charge over to the med bay.

“This is the best thing that's happened all week,” he said, letting Bruce gnaw toothlessly on his finger.

“That hand better be clean, Tim,” Dick said.

“Where's the brat?” asked Jason, ruffling his helmet-flattened hair.

“Hiding upstairs,” Dick replied.

“Can't blame him. _Christ_.”

Steph tickled Bruce's tummy. “He's kind of cute, isn't he?”

Cassandra snorted. “Maybe.”

“Can I trust you lot to not let him die while I make a call?” Dick said.

“Sure,” said Tim. “We can sometimes keep people alive, you know. Despite appearances.”

Dick rolled his eyes and dragged Wally out of the room with him. “I need to talk to Alfred. I'm not calling him home, but by God I need some advice.”

“We'll get through this,” Wally promised.

Dick laughed weakly. “Oh, I don't know. I've taken care of babies before, but not for a whole week. And this is Bruce we're talking about. Can you imagine him being one of those really chill babies who barely ever cries?”

“Not really, no.”

Dick fell into the batcomputer chair and made a video call. “My thoughts exactly.” Alfred's face appeared on the screen. “Hey, Alf. How's life?”

Alfred raised an eyebrow. “What seems to be the problem, Master Dick?”

“Oh, Alfie, I'm hurt. Can't I just call my favourite grandad when I want to chat?”

“You could, but you don't.”

Wally ducked away from the computer so he could laugh. Dick threw a boot at him.

“Okay, you got me. I'm very sorry. I'll try to make more social calls in the future.”

“Yes, yes, very good, sir. Now to the reason you called...”

“Bruce got magicked into a baby,” Dick said. “Zatanna can't undo it, but she said it'll wear off in a week. So we're stuck with babydad for the week. Any tips?”

There was an amused twinkle in Alfred's eye that made Wally fear for everyone's ability to handle the week ahead of them. “You're freaking me out, Alfred.”

“Master Bruce was a very fussy baby,” Alfred told them. “He will get attached to people and refuse to let anyone else touch him if they're not in the room with him. He will refuse food that is not to his exact specifications and he will at times refuse to sleep anywhere but his favourite person's arms. His favourite person will vary, so good luck, sirs.”

“Oh, jeez.” Dick sighed. “Bruce is gonna owe us all big-time.”

“If you need, I can—”

“No,” Dick said quickly. “We'll be fine. He seems to remember us at least. And I got him dressed without too much drama. He didn't like Zatanna's magic, but she's gone now. Is there still a crib around or will we have to get one?”

“Master Bruce's crib should still be in storage. I would advise purchasing new bedding, however.”

“We'll figure something out for tonight and get that in the morning.”

“All right. Was there anything else, sir?”

“Nothing I can think of.”

“Call me if you need more help, Master Dick. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Alf.” Dick shut down the connection. He sat back and rubbed his eyes. Wally planted a messy kiss on his cheek.

* * *

Bruce was as much of a handful as Alfred had warned. Most days, he decided Dick was his favourite and utterly refused to cooperate with anyone else. Jason brought back a baby sling for him on the second day, sarcastically congratulating on his newfound motherhood. It was easy to counteract with a genuine 'thank you' and a hug. Jason vacated the premises shortly afterwards, claiming seeing Bruce like this was too creepy for his tastes.

Wally hung around and soon became Bruce's second favourite person. The rest of the family used that as an excuse to leave him and Dick to care for the baby.

“You're obviously his new parents,” Steph had said while Dick lifted Bruce into the sling. “Which makes sense, since you're the only people in this family able to hold down a stable relationship long enough to get married.”

“It's official,” Tim added. “He's your responsibility. Let's get out of here.”

“You're both bad people,” Dick called after them. Steph blew a kiss. Bruce blew one back at her, which, okay, was pretty cute.

Now, he was trying to get some detective work done on the computer with Bruce on his lap. Bruce was determined to grab his attention, tugging on his shirt and hair and squealing.

“Okay, okay.” Dick stopped typing. “I'm paying attention to you now.”

Bruce pressed a sticky finger on Dick's nose.

“Yes, thank you. Very nice.” Dick wanted to curl up and go to sleep. Bruce had refused to sleep in the crib last night. Dick had walked up and down the house with the kid in his arms. Every moment he stopped, Bruce would wake again. Every time he tried to swap with Wally so he could catch some sleep, Bruce would wake again. Hell, every time someone who wasn't Dick came near him, he would wake up again.

Dick was very much looking forward to this magic wearing off. He only had to get through three more days of this. He could make it.

Wally placed a paper cup on the rolling tray table next to him. “Pick-me-up?”

“Oh, God yes.” Dick cuddled Bruce to his chest with his free hand to discourage any grabbing for the hot coffee. He moaned at the taste. “Wally, you're the best.”

“Duh.” Wally leaned against the computer. “Got much done?”

Dick snorted. “No. Bruce is determined to distract me. Unlike his adult counterpart.”

“Your job is paying attention to him,” Wally replied. “He's only trying to keep you on track.”

“You're lucky you're so cute,” Dick mumbled to Bruce. “So. Lucky.” Bruce nuzzled his neck. “Yes, I love you too.”

“You're good with him,” Wally commented. “You know, I admit to thinking about... you know.”

“Kids?” Dick assumed. “It's a thought. I just don't know if I'm ready to—ARGH!” Dick's face was suddenly buried in a hairy chest. “Jesus fucking—Zatanna said we'd have a week!”

Wally had to hold himself up on the computer or he'd fall over laughing. “At _most_ , she said.”

Bruce, now a very much naked adult, climbed off him. Dick swivelled his chair to hide the bottom half of his body.

“Wally, get the poor man some clothes.” Dick grinned up at Bruce, trying to control his panicky heartbeat as Wally ran up the stairs. “Hey, B. Back already?”

Bruce shrugged.

“Remember anything?” Dick asked.

“No.”

“Oh, thank God.”

Wally zipped back into the cave and threw a pile of clothes over Dick's head to Bruce. “Yeah, I don't think you'd like to remember us changing your diapers.”

“Wally,” Dick hissed. “Can you not?”

Bruce pulled on his pants first. “Well, thanks.”

“You're fucking welcome, Bruce.”

“Alfred filled us in on a few things,” Wally said. “Namely baby-you's tendency to pick a favourite person and not let anyone else near them. Guess who was the favourite?”

Bruce ran a hand over his face, sighing. “I'm so sorry, Dick.”

“You better be. You know the last time I _slept_?”

“Wally, take him to bed. And I hope you two have learned something about parenting these past few days.” Bruce pulled his shirt on and started for the stairs into the manor. “You need to fully understand that sort of responsibility before you choose to have kids of your own.”

“Says the guy who adopted an orphan on an _impulse_ ,” Dick called after him, his face turning red.

“You think we remembers the conversation we were having just before he turned?” Wally asked.

Dick shrugged. “Maybe. He could've been in a transitional state or something. Whatever. I'm tired and I don't care.”

Wally lifted him from the chair. “All right. Let's get you horizontal before you pass out, babe.”


	6. Day 6: Anniversary

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A normal day of stealing each other's breakfast. Or was it?

It was a normal day as far as Dick and Wally were concerned. Wally got up before Dick to go save a cat in a tree or something and Dick made himself breakfast, and second breakfast for his husband who came back with healing scratch marks on his arms and face.

“ _He rises_ ,” Wally said, dropping into a chair. “How late were you out last night?”

Dick yawned, shoving a plate across the table. “Pretty late. Alfred asked me about my plans for today. Which was weird.”

Wally shrugged, sticking a whole fried egg in his mouth. “Maybe he's gonna invite us for dinner.”

“Good. He can keep up with your bottomless pit of a stomach far better than I can.”

Wally smiled with a mouth full of bacon and kept shoving food in his face. Dick threw some newly-buttered toast onto his plate.

“How big was this cat?” Dick asked him.

“It was tiny,” Wally admitted. “But it squirmed and scratched like nobody's business. I also stopped three house fires.”

“You're a regular fireman, Walls. Ever consider volunteering?”

“Eh, I'd just make them feel inadequate. You know how it is.”

Dick snorted. “How selfless of you.”

“Shut up and give me all your bacon.”

Dick pushed the few rashers he hadn't eaten onto Wally's plate. “Give me your egg.”

Wally sighed. “Fine.” He pushed his egg onto Dick's plate. “Are we even now?”

“Not even close. I still made all this for you.”

“So, the usual repayment? You recline in bed and I paint you in chocolate?”

“That was one time, Wally. And I was finding chocolate on me for days afterwards. You weren't as thorough as you thought.”

“I tried.”

“Oh, I _know_.” Dick had fond memories of that day. “How about this time I recline in bed again and you feed me grapes?”

“Can I feed you something else instead?”

“If you're referring to your penis, you better get the good grapes. I don't give away blowjobs for any old grape.”

“I'll keep that in mind.” Wally completely cleared his plate of food. “I forgot to get the mail. Hang on.” He zipped out of their apartment. Dick stacked both their dishes in the sink. He'd clean them later when we felt like it.

“Anything interesting?” Dick asked as Wally slid to a halt beside him.

“Hm. Bill.” He dropped it on the counter. “Another bill.” Drop. “Another bill.” Drop. “Oh, and something from Wayne Manor.” He opened up the envelope. “I... oh.” Wally pressed the contents to his chest, smiling uncomfortably. “So, remember how we got married, like, a year ago?”

“...yes?”

“Well...” Wally handed over the envelope. Dick pulled a card out. An anniversary card. Dated for today.

“Holy—are you serious? That was _today_?”

Wally shrugged. “Apparently.”

Dick hid his reddening face behind the card “Oh my God. I can't—we both forgot our own _anniversary_.”

When he peeked out from behind the card again, Wally was on the floor, head in his hands, shaking with laughter. Dick slid down to sit beside him.

“Great start to our first anniversary, hey?” he said to Wally, who couldn't stop laughing to respond. Dick buried his face in Wally's shoulder. They stayed down there a good ten minutes, marvelling at the sheer level of incompetence that led both of them to forget such an important milestone in their relationship.

Wally got himself together first and he wrapped his arms around Dick. “So, since we don't have anything planned, how about we just go have sex and pretend we meant to do that all along?”

Dick snorted. “Sounds good to me.”


	7. Free for all

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dick and Wally help each other come to terms with succeeding their mentors.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not really related to marriage at all aside from a throwaway bit of dialogue. In this continuity, Dick becomes Batman before Wally becomes the Flash. Preboot canon continuity has it the other way 'round, but I like to make things up sometimes.

Gotham needed a Batman. Everyone knew it. The city had fallen apart at the seams. Dick's own family had torn itself to pieces over it. This had to stop, and Dick could think of only one way to accomplish that. He'd have to wear the cowl himself.

It was his worst nightmare come true. He hadn't wanted to be Batman since he was thirteen years old and got a taste of what it was truly like to bear that kind of responsibility. There had been a lot he hadn't understood back then, most notably that Bruce didn't want him to become Batman at all. Dick supposed it was hard for a kid to pick up on something like that when he was being trained to fight crime like the man himself. It hadn't been until he'd heard Bruce's voice in his holographic will that he'd finally, truly, understood this wasn't the life Bruce had wanted for him.

Of course, Dick had learned long ago that sometimes one's own wants had to be set aside for the greater good. It still didn't sit right with him. By putting on that cowl inside this display case, he was disobeying Bruce's last wishes.

Dick rested his forehead against the glass. This wasn't right. But there was no one else to take on the burden, despite his brothers' best efforts. Jason was going off the rails and Tim was still so young. Dick knew Tim didn't even want to be Batman, that he'd only tried because Dick was being stubborn about it. It wasn't Tim's burden and it never should have been. The kid was too selfless for his own good sometimes.

Dick sighed, his breath fogging the glass. The last time anyone had put him in charge of anything, Kaldur had been mind-wiped and Wally had gotten lost in the time stream for two years. They'd thought him dead at the time, and his return hadn't done much to relieve the guilt Dick still carried over that.

“Still brooding?” Wally leaned against the display case.

“Gotta practise,” Dick replied, not quite reaching the level of humour he'd hoped for. “Can't be Batman if I'm not broody.”

“Well, you're doing well,” Wally said. “Like, too well.”

“It's a gift.”

“You look like you're gonna fall over, babe. Some gift.”

Dick groaned. “Drop it. Please.”

“What kind of boyfriend would I be if I left you like this?”

“A boyfriend who knows who to listen,” Dick muttered, already knowing his protests were useless.

“I am listening. It'd help if you'd start talking. Come on, what do you need?”

Dick rolled his eyes. “I need Bruce to not be dead, but that's not about to happen. Failing that, I need someone who's actually cut out to be Batman, because you just know we're in trouble if I'm the closest we've got.”

“You're not as hopeless as you think you are, Dick,” Wally said. “Honestly, though, I don't want some know-it-all stepping into the big guy's shoes. You've got no illusions about the kind of hard decisions Batman has to make, because you've made them before. That's why this is freaking you out, right?”

“I guess.” Dick stepped away from the display case; he didn't want to look at it anymore. “Bruce didn't want this for me. _I_ don't want it for me.”

“I know,” Wally replied. “If it helps, everyone I've spoken to thinks you'll do a good job.”

Dick snorted. “Tell that to Damian.”

“The kid just lost his dad. He probably thinks you're trying to replace Bruce, which we both know you're not. He'll come around eventually. You're not the sort of person anyone can stay mad at.”

“He's giving it a good shot,” Dick murmured. “And in the process of trying to do right by Damian, I managed to alienate Tim. Go me.”

“He'll forgive you.”

“He shouldn't. I certainly wasn't quick to forgive Bruce when he replaced me with Jason.”

“You weren't in the greatest of mindsets in the first place,” Wally reminded him. “Getting dropped in the Lazarus Pit isn't exactly a day at the spa.”

The less Dick thought about that, the better. “I thought Tim was ready to move on from Robin, but maybe I was wrong.”

“He'll come out of it okay. He's a tough kid.”

“If you say so.”

“I do say so.” Wally took his hand. “Let's get out of the cave for a bit. Worrying so much isn't healthy, you know.”

“Just a few minutes,” Dick conceded. “I've got to cross-reference some intel with Oracle.”

“Sounds like you're on top of things.”

Dick laughed, a little bitterly. “Right.”

“Hey, it's not your fault every criminal in Gotham is freaking the hell out. They thought Batman was gone. But you'll teach 'em.”

Dick's next laugh was more genuine. “All right, Walls. Willing to make a bet on that?”

“Sure am. I bet you'll have at least three supercriminals behind bars by this time next week. Loser buys dinner.”

“You're so on.”

A week later, Dick took Wally out to dinner. Wally gloated the whole night.

* * *

Barry had survived the fight by the skin of his teeth, but he didn't make it out in one piece. Wally hadn't been there, but Bart had. The poor kid was still in shock and it had taken the combined efforts of both Tim and Jaime to get him in the shower to wash all the blood off. Dick had taken quite a beating in the fight as well, but had somehow managed to avoid serious injury. He was elsewhere in the Watchtower, his chest taped to hell and back but still on his feet despite Black Canary offering him a bed in the medical wing.

The first few hours were the worst. Surgeons worked on stopping the bleedout from the stump where Barry's lower leg used to be while Wally and Iris waited in a room nearby. Tim and Jaime had taken Bart over an hour ago and they still hadn't returned.

“He's fine,” Dick assured him over the comm. “He's still shaken up, but Tim and Jaime are looking after him.”

“Dick, you saw how much blood there was. He's not fine.”

“He's talking and eating, which is more than he was doing earlier. We'll make sure he gets therapy when the dust's settled. For now, however, we need to focus on the small victories. How's Barry?”

“Alive,” Wally replied. “Don't know anything else.”

“He survived long enough to get help,” Dick said. “The odds aren't bad, all things considered.”

“You're not the one sitting here waiting for news.”

“You're right.” A distant series of clicks. Typing. “I'm still trying to piece together what the hell happened. My best theory is still a poorly-planned alien raid, given the scraps of tech the League's collecting from the field. The Lanterns are pursuing that angle. We're not gonna have that Reach bullshit again, since we clearly didn't invite them this time so the Lantern Corps is free to kick ass.”

“Make sure they kick extra hard for Barry.”

“Will do. Let me know if you hear anything, 'kay?”

“I will.” Wally cut the line. Dick was trying way too hard to be optimistic, and it grated on his nerves. He wondered if this was how Damian felt most days.

Wally gave up on sitting after a while and paced around the room. Black Canary arrived some time after his tenth circuit.

“Good news,” she said. “We've managed to stabilise him. He's still unconscious, but his healing's kicked in so he could wake up at any time.”

Iris forced Wally to go home with Dick that night. Dick was still moving stiffly and Wally was still angry at the world, so it wasn't a great night for either of them.

“Weren't you supposed to be staying in the hospital tonight?” Wally asked as he watched Dick painfully swap into his nightshirt, catching a glimpse of row upon row of medical tape that didn't entirely hide the purple bruises covering his torso.

“Dinah wanted me to rest,” Dick replied, gingerly climbing onto the bed. “She offered the bed because she knew I'd be more likely to accept it than if she told me to go home. Besides, I can think of someone who's worse off than I am and he pulled through okay in the end.”

“He's never going to be the Flash again,” Wally muttered. “Not unless someone invents a prosthetic that can take the force of someone running near the freaking speed of light.”

“I've got WayneTech and Star Labs people already working on more durable prosthetics,” Dick replied. He lay down with a quick gasp of pain. “The odds of making something that will fully accommodate the amount of force Barry would need to exert is unlikely, but maybe we can give him something back at least. In any case, we already have prosthetic technology that'll allow him to walk and run at human speeds.”

Wally lay back, glaring up at the ceiling. “I should've been there.”

“You were exactly where you'd been ordered to be, Wally,” Dick said, probably a little more sharply than he'd intended. Pain made him snap at people sometimes. “It's not your fault. It's not Bart's fault. Or Barry's. You know who's at fault? The asshole who disintegrated his leg.”

“We were a team, Dick. I was his first sidekick. Like you were the first Robin. I mean, can you honestly say you don't wish you were with Bruce when he—”

“Don't.” Dick's face answered the question for him. “Just don't. You do this all the time.”

“Do what?”

“Deflect.”

“And you don't?”

“My uncle didn't just lose his leg. Mostly because my uncle's already—” Dick cut himself off. “Sorry. Bad mood. Shouldn't take it out on you.”

Wally breathed out his tension. “Yeah. I'm sorry, too. I just... what if he asks me? You know, to take over?” He felt like such an asshole just bringing it up, as if he was entitled to take over the mantle of the Flash now his uncle was out for the count. And maybe some of that asshole feeling was because Dick had gone through the same thing, except worse because Bruce was dead and didn't want him to be Batman at all. He'd been forced to make that decision when faced with a city falling apart without a Batman to hold it together.

“He might,” Dick said. “Bart's obviously not an option, as young as he still is. You could do it, you know.”

“I'm not fast enough.” That had been a sore spot for years, which had flared up worse than ever when Bart had appeared on the scene and immediately ran rings around him.

“You're faster than you used to be,” Dick replied. “And it's not just about speed, you know? It's about brains, about personality. The Flash is as much a symbol of hope as he is a really fast cop. You don't have to be the exact same Flash Barry was, just like Barry's not the same as Jay. And I'm not the same as Bruce. He was way stronger than I am, for one. And scarier. But I don't piss off the cops as much, which is worth the villains cooing at me like I'm still a kid sometimes.”

“Stop being adorable and maybe they'll stop trying to pinch your cheeks.”

Dick snorted, then winced. “Ow. Don't make me laugh.”

“Sorry.”

“Any other insecurities you'd like to air out while we're here?”

“Nah, I think I'm good. How's the Batmanning? Stopped tripping on your cape yet?”

Dick smiled sheepishly. “Mostly.”

“Growing up sucks.”

“Yeah. It'd be better if people would stop dying or losing limbs, but what can you do?”

“Build a blanket fort and hide from the world forever?”

“That's how you should've proposed.”

That... was actually a good idea. “Damn it.”

They tried to sleep. Wally was still restless and Dick was still in pain, so neither of them were particularly happy in the morning. Wally barely got through his breakfast before Iris called him to come talk to Barry, who'd finally woken up. Dick kissed him goodbye, asking him to send along his good wishes.

Wally was still a little weirded about by the whole idea of replacing Barry as the Flash, but if Barry asked, he was ready to give it a shot.


End file.
